PRESENT A JOINT DINNER MEETING
Metallurgy and Fire Investigation:
The evaluation of brass artifacts from fire scenes
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2016
Time: 5:30 pm Social Hour: Fellowship and Networking
6:30 pm Dinner 7:15 pm Brief Presentation from Social Sponsor
7:30 Main Presentation
RESERVE WITH MEAL CHOICE BY NOON ON MONDAY 5/23/16
to DaAliya@itothen.com or 616-475-0059
Place: Holiday Inn Downtown Grand Rapids
310 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 ▪ (616) 235-1995
Social Sponsor: Aliya Analytical, Inc.
Cost: Members and Non-members $25.00
Payment by cash or check at the door.
Students, retirees and unemployed $12.00
Speaker: Elizabeth C. Buc, PhD, PE, CFI
Menu: Your Choice of Stuffed Chicken Breast (artichokes, spinach, cheese and red pepper sauce) OR Salmon Oscar (grilled salmon with crab meat and Hollandaise sauce). All meals include salad, accompaniment, rolls, coffee or tea or lemonade, and carrot cake.
FEATURE PRESENTATION: This presentation will focus on cataloging and using physical indicators of damage from electrical arcing, resistive heating and exposure to heat and fire on brass artifacts from fire scenes, including automotive fires. Case studies where damaged brass artifacts were processed as part of an origin and cause determination will be used to illustrate the principles of failure analysis in fire investigation. Examples of brass artifacts include gas appliance connectors, valve bodies, plug blades, and receptacle buses.
SPEAKER BIO: Elizabeth Buc is well known and recognized in the fields of forensic engineering, fire science and fire investigation. She has degrees (BS, MS) in Chemistry and degrees (MS, PhD) in Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Buc is a licensed professional engineer in Metallurgical Engineering and is a certified Fire Investigator. She is the owner of Fire and Materials Research Laboratory, LLC in Livonia, Michigan. She has 20 years' experience in the field of forensic engineering; she's attended training at ASM in Materials Park, Ohio. She works as a consultant in litigation and non-litigation related fire- and non-fire cases or projects involving failure analyses, research, testing and investigations in Michigan and across the United States. She is a member of the SAE Fire Safety Committee and has developed guidelines for automotive fire hazard evaluation and fire investigation industry.